Method and system for obtaining location information regarding a device in a wireless network

ABSTRACT

A method for execution by at least one entity in a wireless communication environment, comprising: receiving a request for location information pertaining to a subscriber device; obtaining contextual information regarding the request; and formulating a positioning request for transmission to the device, wherein depending on the contextual information, the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrieve location information from a first or a second type of location establishment entity. Also, a method for execution by at least one entity in a wireless communication environment, the method comprising: receiving a request for location information pertaining to a device; determining that the device is equipped with both a built-in location establishment entity and a removable location establishment entity; consulting an information database to select one of the location establishment entities; instructing the device to retrieve location information from the selected location establishment entity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current application is a Continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/517,408, filed Jun. 20, 2012, which is a National Phaseentry of International Application No. PCT/CA2010/002076, filed Dec. 21,2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 61/288,681, all of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to wireless communications and,in particular, to a method and system for obtaining location informationregarding a device in a wireless network.

BACKGROUND

When a Location-Based Services (LBS) application wishes to establish thelocation of a mobile station (MS) in a wireless network, the applicationmay send a location request message to the wireless carrier that servesthe MS. In response, the carrier may engage in a process to determinewhere the MS is currently located, and the carrier may then generate aresponse to the location request and send the response to the LBSapplication. To this end, the wireless carrier may operate a locationserver that acts as a front end for receiving location requests from theLBS application and forwarding those requests to a position determiningsystem. Thus, when the location server receives a location request fromthe LBS application, the location server may send a correspondinglocation request to the position determining system, and the positiondetermining system may, in turn, determine the location of the MS. Thepositioning system returns the determined location of the MS to thelocation server, which then returns to the LBS application thedetermined location or data derived from the determined location (suchas mapping, routing, or street address information, for instance).

Oftentimes to determine the location of a MS, the position determiningsystem will need to obtain location information from the MS itself.Depending on the capabilities of the MS, the location information thatcan be obtained from the MS may comprise satellite positioning data,such as global positioning system (GPS) readings or other data,information regarding the cell/sector in which the MS is currentlyoperating, and information about signals the MS is receiving fromvarious base stations, for instance. However, not all MSs are equippedwith the same capabilities for generating location information.Moreover, some MSs are equipped with multiple modules capable ofsupplying location information but having different response andprecision characteristics. Thus, it will be appreciated that methodspreviously used for communicating with a MS in order to obtain locationinformation can be inadequate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first broad aspect, the present invention seeks toprovide a method for execution by at least one entity in a wirelesscommunication environment, the method comprising: receiving a requestfor location information pertaining to a subscriber device; obtainingcontextual information regarding the request for location information;and formulating a positioning request for transmission to the device,wherein depending on the contextual information, the positioning requestis formulated to instruct the device to retrieve location informationfrom a first type of location establishment entity or from a second typeof location establishment entity.

In an embodiment, the first type of location establishment entity is alocation establishment entity that is built into the device and thesecond type of location establishment entity is a location establishmententity that is removable with respect to the device.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises determining a targetsignaling plane over which to send the location request message to thedevice. In an embodiment, the target signaling plane is selected from auser plane and a control plane.

In an embodiment, when (i) the positioning request is formulated toinstruct the device to retrieve location information from the first typeof location entity and (ii) the target signaling plane is selected to bethe user plane: the positioning request is sent over a secure user planeconnection established with a client agent instantiated by a processingentity that is built into the device.

In an embodiment, when (i) the positioning request is formulated toinstruct the device to retrieve location information from the secondtype of location entity and (ii) the target signaling plane is selectedto be the user plane: the positioning request is sent over a secure userplane connection established with a client agent instantiated by aprocessing entity that is removable with respect to the device.

According to a second broad aspect, the present invention seeks toprovide a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readableinstructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions beingexecutable by at least one tangible entity in a wireless communicationenvironment to carry out a method, the method comprising: receiving arequest for location information pertaining to a subscriber device;obtaining contextual information regarding the request for locationinformation; and formulating a positioning request for transmission tothe device, wherein depending on the contextual information, thepositioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrievelocation information from a first type of location establishment entityor from a second type of location establishment entity.

According to a third broad aspect, the present invention seeks toprovide an entity in a wireless communication environment, comprising: aprocessing entity for: receiving a request for location informationpertaining to a subscriber device; obtaining contextual informationregarding the request for location information; formulating apositioning request for transmission to the device, wherein depending onthe contextual information, the positioning request is formulated toinstruct the device to retrieve location information from a first typeof location establishment entity or from a second type of locationestablishment entity; and an output for releasing the positioningrequest towards the device.

According to a fourth broad aspect, the present invention seeks toprovide a method for execution by at least one entity in a wirelesscommunication environment, the method comprising: receiving a requestfor location information pertaining to a subscriber device; determiningthat the subscriber device is equipped with both a built-in locationestablishment entity and a removable location establishment entity;consulting an information database to select a location establishmententity from the built-in location establishment entity and the removablelocation establishment entity; and instructing the device to retrievelocation information from the selected location establishment entity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication environmentenabling the use of a particular embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating execution of a routingfunction/selection process by an entity in the wireless communicationenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a message flow diagram illustrating control plane signaling toretrieve location information regarding a device in the wirelesscommunication environment of FIG. 1, in accordance with a non-limitingembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are block diagrams, each with an exchange of messagesamongst different entities in the wireless communication environment ofFIG. 1, illustrating user plane signaling to retrieve informationregarding the device, in accordance with two non-limiting embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a device for use in the wirelesscommunication environment of FIG. 1, including a removable SIM/UIC cardand a built-in location establishment entity;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a removable SIM/UIC card equipped with alocation establishment entity;

FIG. 8 is a non-limiting example table showing the effect of contextualinformation on the manner in which a positioning request is delivered tothe device; and

FIG. 9 is an expanded version of step 230 in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an architecture for obtaining location informationpertaining to a device 110 in a wireless communications environment, inaccordance with a specific non-limiting embodiment of the presentinvention. Device 110 can be a wireless device such as a mobile phone,smart phone, BlackBerry™, iPhone™, iPad™, WiFi™-enabled laptop, etc.Device 110 can be associated with a subscription from a wirelesscarrier, thus the device 100 can be referred to as a subscriber device.

Device 110 may have an example configuration shown in more detail inFIG. 6. Specifically, device 110 may comprise a radio frequency (RF)antenna 640, RF transceiver circuitry 605, basebandmodulation/demodulation circuitry 610, a processing entity (in this casereferred to as an application processor 620) and a memory 660. An audiodevice 650 and a keypad 655 can provide input/output functionality ascan a variety of other devices known to those of skill in the art. Theapplication processor 620 executes functionality that can be encoded inhardware (by virtue of a specific arrangement of circuitry in theapplication processor 620) or software (by virtue of machine-readableinstructions stored in the memory 660). The memory 660 can also storedata for use by the application processor 620 during execution of itsprogram. Other ways of implementing the functionality of the applicationprocessor 620 and the memory 660 without departing from the spirit ofthe invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

Device 110 may also comprise a subscriber identity module (SIM) oruniversal integrated circuit (UIC) card slot 665, hereinafter referredto as a SIM/UIC card slot 665, for receiving a SIM/UIC card 670. TheSIM/UIC slot 665 provides one or more connections to the applicationprocessor 620 so as to allow communication between the applicationprocessor 620 and the SIM/UIC card 670 when the latter is inserted intothe SIM/UIC slot 665. For example, a communications bus can be providedfor enabling communications between the application processor 620 andthe SIM/UIC card 670. Such communications can be carried out inaccordance with a communications protocol.

The SIM/UIC card 670 may store information that characterizes device110, such as a MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier), IMSI (InternationalMobile Subscriber Identifier), ICCID (Integrated Circuit CardIdentifier), etc., as well as possibly information that characterizesthe subscription, as well as possibly various user-entered information(such as a contact list, task list, password vault, etc.). The SIM/UICcard 670 can be removable with respect to device 110.

In order to furnish its location to a requesting entity in the wirelesscommunication environment, device 110 can be equipped with a built-inlocation establishment entity and/or a removable location establishmententity.

A built-in location establishment entity is part of the internalcircuitry of device 110 and is not intended to be removed throughout theuseful life of device 110. With continued reference to FIG. 6, anon-limiting example of a built-in location establishment entity is aglobal positioning system (GPS) sub-module 635, which includes anantenna 645 and a GPS receiver 630. In some embodiments, a separate GPSantenna is not required, and the GPS receiver 630 in GPS sub-module 635may share the antenna 640 with the RF transceiver circuitry 605. The GPSreceiver 630 is configured to demodulate and process signals fromvarious earth-orbiting satellites, as received by the antenna 645 (or640, as the case may be), in order to derive information characterizingthe current location of device 110. The application processor 620controls operation of the GPS receiver 630 based on parameters receivedfrom a requesting entity in the wireless communications environment, andrelays the information obtained from the GPS receiver 630 to suchrequesting entity.

A removable location establishment entity includes locationestablishment circuitry that can be connected to and disconnected fromthe internal circuitry of device 110 by a user of device 110. This doesnot necessarily mean that the location establishment circuitry must bean isolated component, but rather that it be a relatively simplemaneuver to disconnect the location establishment circuitry from theinternal circuitry of device 110, possibly by disconnecting anothercomponent that houses the location establishment entity.

For example, FIG. 7 shows a non-limiting example of a removable locationestablishment entity, implemented as a GPS sub-module 735 of aGPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770, which can be inserted into the SIM/UICcard slot 665. The GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 includes a processingentity (in this case referred to as a processor 720) and a memory 760.The processor 720 executes functionality that can be encoded in hardware(by virtue of a specific arrangement of circuitry in the processor 720)or software (by virtue of machine-readable instructions stored in thememory 760). The memory 760 can also store data for use by the processor720 during execution of its program. Other ways of implementing thefunctionality of the processor 720 and the memory 760 without departingfrom the spirit of the invention will be apparent to those of skill inthe art.

The GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 additionally includes an antenna 745and a GPS receiver 730 forming part of GPS sub-module 735. The GPSreceiver 730 is configured to demodulate and process signals fromvarious earth-orbiting satellites, as received by the antenna 745, inorder to derive information characterizing the location of theGPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 and therefore of device 110 itself (whenthe GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 is installed in device 110). Theprocessor 720 controls operation of the GPS receiver 730 based onparameters received from a requesting entity in the wirelesscommunications environment via device 110, and relays the informationobtained from the GPS receiver 730 to such requesting entity.

In some embodiments, the GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 may incorporatesome of the principles taught in United States Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2009/0088181 to Savolainen, hereby incorporated byreference herein.

In a non-limiting embodiment, the application processor 620 maycommunicate with the processor 720 (while the GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card770 is inserted in the slot 665). This can be useful where theapplication processor 620 desires to obtain the location informationfrom GPS sub-module 735. Communications between the applicationprocessor 620 and the processor 720 can take place in accordance with acommunications protocol such as the Bearer Independent Protocol (BIP),namely as described in ETSI TS 102 223: “Smart Cards; Card ApplicationToolkit (CAT) (Release 7)” and related standards. Other protocols mayalso be used.

As contrasted with the built-in GPS sub-module 635, the removable GPSsub-module 735 may allow new flexibility to be added to devices andusers for their net benefit, for example, by adding high accuracylocation capabilities post retail to a device not otherwise capable ofsuch a function. This can be achieved through simple insertion of anaftermarket GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 into the conventional slot665.

In other example, new kinds of hosted location solutions and servicescan be enabled, which work independently of device 110 regardless of itsown pre-existing location capabilities. In a specific non-limitingexample, visitors to a country could acquire a GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card770 that is tailored to a tourism theme, with information andnotification features such as city guide and landmark information,advertising and couponing for hospitality services or indeed emergencylocation information, without affecting overall general purposeperformance of device 110.

With specific reference to emergency location information, consider thecase where device 110 is an older/cheaper model that does not havebuilt-in location establishment capabilities, or whose built-in locationestablishment capabilities are only moderately precise. Such a scenariomay arise when device 110 is brought in by a visitor arriving from aforeign country and who wishes to connect to the mobile network 120.Under such circumstances, the operator of the mobile network 120 may notbe able to provide accurate location services to the (visiting) user ofdevice 110, which threatens the delivery of emergency services. Byinserting the aftermarket GPS-equipped SIM/UIC card 770 into the slot665, device 110 acquires accurate location establishment capabilities,which could allow the operator of the mobile network 120 to meet certainobligations with respect to the delivery of emergency services to alldevices, including older/cheaper models and roaming (visiting) devices.

Through operation of the application processor 620, device 110participates in wireless communications with other components of thewireless communication environment. These components may abide by astandard, such as 3GPP, 802.16, 802.16e and/or 802.16m, to name a fewnon-limiting possibilities. In the following, certain terms may be morereflective of 3GPP, however this is not to be considered as a limitationor restriction of the present invention. For example, the presentinvention may also be applicable in a WiMax (IEEE 802.11m) environment.

Referring back to FIG. 1, device 110 communicates with a mobile network120 that includes a radio access network 120R and a core network 120C.

The radio access network 120R includes various nodes such as a pluralityof radio network controllers and base stations, among which is shown isa radio network controller (RNC) 125 connected to a base station 105.The base station 105 irradiates a wireless coverage area such as a cellor cell/sector in which device 110 can communicate with the base station105 over an air interface. The base station 105 is communicativelycoupled to (or integrated with) the radio network controller 125. Theradio network controller 125 controls aspects of the air interface (suchas channel assignments and handoff). The radio network controller 125 iscommunicatively coupled to a mobile switching center (MSC) 135 in thecore network 120C.

A location assistance function is implemented by the radio accesscontroller 125 or by a Stand-Alone Service Mobile Location Centre (SAS)175 as shown in FIG. 1. The SAS 175 obtains a GPS reference feed from aGPS worldwide reference network 185. The GPS reference feed includesup-to-date satellite timing reference and almanac information regardinga multitude of GPS satellites orbiting Earth. The SAS 175 receivesqueries from the radio network controller 125 for satellite datarelating to particular devices. For example, the SAS 175 can receive theidentity of device 110 (e.g., its IMSI) and, based on this, identifiesthe base station or cell site that was most recently in communicationwith device 110. The SAS 175 then consults the GPS reference feed toidentify the satellites within line of sight of device 110 and, inparticular, may obtain information such as “in the next few moments,satellite A should be in ‘xyz’ position in the sky, satellite B shouldbe in ‘hij’ position in the sky, etc.”). This use of a locationassistance function significantly shortens the time required tocalculate a high accuracy location. Other types of information can beprovided as part of the GPS reference feed and processed by the locationassistance function.

The core network 120C includes an arrangement of switches, gateways andother nodes, including the aforementioned MSC 135, as well as a shortmessage service center (SMSC) 145, a serving GPRS (General Packet RadioService) support node (SGSN) 155, a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN)165, a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 160 and a Secure User PlaneLocation (SUPL) server 170. One or more gateways (not shown) may beprovided that connect the mobile network 120 to an external data networksuch as the Internet 172.

The SMSC 145 employs store and forward technology, and any SMS messageinitiated from device 110 is forwarded to the SMSC 145 which theninterrogates the mobile network 120 for the location of the recipientand forwards the content of the SMS message to the recipient. In thereverse direction, SMS messages destined for device 110 are forwarded bythe SMSC 145 either along a voice path (via the MSC 135) or along a datapath (via the SGSN 155). The SMSC 145 may request routing informationfrom an HLR (Home Location Register) or HSS (Home Subscriber Server)162.

The MSC 135 provides the signaling and control function for processingmobile voice calls and also SMS messages. The MSC 135 forms a part ofthe overall wireless communications infrastructure that maintains callsbetween a fixed or mobile entity to a mobile user within its servingarea.

The SGSN 155 provides much the same function as the MSC 135 except thatit is used for data sessions and also SMS messages. The SGSN 155serially connects to the GGSN 165, which is the packet (IP) gateway thatanchors a mobile data session between the mobile user and the IP world.

The SUPL server 170 implements a function for creating a secure IPtunnel between a client agent (a “SUPL client”) instantiated on device110 and a server agent instantiated on the SUPL server 170. One of thefunctions of such secure IP tunnel can be to provide the SUPL server 170with location information collected from device 110. In certainembodiments, this location information may require up-to-date satellitetiming reference and almanac information regarding the multitude of GPSsatellites orbiting Earth, and thus the SUPL server may be connected tothe GPS worldwide reference network 185 in order to obtain the GPSreference feed discussed earlier.

The GMLC 160 implements functionality required to support locationservices, and its functionality may be distributed over more than onephysical component. The GMLC 160 may request routing information fromthe HLR or HSS 162.

The components in the mobile network 120 can be used to communicate withdevice 110 over a “control plane” and a “user plane”. Basically, controlplane signaling allows for the establishment and monitoring of a userplane connection.

Specifically, in control plane signaling, the GMLC 160 identifies theMSC 135 serving device 110 and will exchange control signals with theMSC 135, and the MSC 135 will in turn engage in exchanging controlsignals with device 110. The control signals can be instruction setqueries/responses. Control plane signaling can be used to retrievelocation information from device 110 when it is equipped with a built-inlocation establishment entity (such as GPS sub-module 635).

Control plane signaling can also be used to establish a connection overthe user plane (i.e., a “user plane connection”) between device 110 andan entity (a server, another mobile device, etc) via the SGSN 155 andthe GGSN 165.

In particular, the user plane connection can comprise a path that allowsthe transfer of speech, data, etc. between device 110 and the relevantentity. Where the relevant entity is the SUPL server 170, one example ofa user plane connection is the aforementioned secure IP tunnel between aclient agent (a “SUPL client”) instantiated on device 110 and acorresponding server agent instantiated on the SUPL server 170. Thissecure IP tunnel can then be used to retrieve location information fromdevice 110 when it is equipped with either a built-in locationestablishment entity (such as GPS sub-module 635) or a removablelocation establishment entity (such as GPS sub-module 735).

In addition, a Location-Based Services (LBS) node 130 is communicativelycoupled to the core network 120C and, more specifically, to the GMLC 160and/or the SUPL server 170. In a non-limiting embodiment, the LBS node130 may be connected to the GMLC 160 and/or the SUPL server 170 via adata network 172 such as the Internet. The LBS node 130 can be a trustedentity (e.g., a public safety answering point—PSAP—connected via asecure link) or an untrusted entity (e.g., a server operated by a thirdparty and connected over the Internet). Other degrees of trustworthinessare also possible.

The LBS node 130 executes an LBS application that may desire/require thelocation of a device associated with a subscriber, such as device 110.Examples of LBS applications that may be offered includeCity-Walk-And-Map-Guide; Here-I-Am-Instant-Coupons;Show-My-Family-On-A-Map; Emergency 911 with Location;Points-Of-Interest-Drive-By-Ads; Map-My-Friends-Near-Me;Where-Is-My-Missing-Phone, to name a few non-limiting possibilities.

In order to obtain the location of device 110, the LBS node 130 can senda location information request 132 to the core network 120C. Thelocation information request 132 may be sent to the SUPL server 170 orto the GMLC 160. The location information request 132 can be sent usingthe MLP protocol, which is an OMA standard. Whether the LBS node 130issues the location information request 132 to the SUPL server 170 or tothe GMLC 160 depends on the service profile (use case) that the LBS node130 node is providing. Regardless of the origin of the request forlocation information, the location information request 132 is processedby an entity 200 that implements a routing function/selection process.The entity 200 may be implemented as a stand-alone processor/server, orit may be integrated within one or both of the GMLC 160 and the SUPLserver 170.

With additional reference to FIG. 2, there is shown a routingfunction/selection process that can be executed by the entity 200 in thecore network 120C. In particular, the entity 200 may executeinstructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium and whichencode the routing function/selection process. The entity 200 can beintegrated with the GMLC 160 or the SUPL server 170, or it may beseparate from either the GMLC 160 or the SUPL server 170. In someembodiments, the entity 200 may comprise a web server that is reachableover the internet 172.

Step 210

The entity 200 receives a request for location information regarding adevice associated with a particular subscriber (in this case, device110). The request for location information can be the locationinformation request 132 generated by the LBS application 130.Alternatively, in the absence of an explicit location informationrequest from the LBS application 130, the request for locationinformation can be received implicitly, such as when an internal timeror logic block determines that there is a need to obtain locationinformation regarding device 110.

Step 220

The entity 200 obtains current contextual information regarding therequest for location information, i.e., information characterizing acontext surrounding receipt of the request for location information.Some of the contextual information can be included with the locationinformation request 132, if such was indeed processed at step 210. Forexample, the location information request 132 can include contextualinformation such as accuracy parameters (e.g., a demand that the resultbe accurate to within, say, 5 km), timeout parameters (e.g., a demandthat the result be obtained within 60 seconds), rebid parameters (e.g.,the number of recurring locates to make or a retry attempt) as well ascommon administrative-type parameters needed for proper functioning ofthe protocol that carries the location information request 132.

Additional contextual information can also be obtained by the entity200. A database 195 is illustrated as being a source of such additionalcontextual information, with the understanding that the additionalcontextual information can be sourced within other elements of themobile network 120 or within other information system elements(databases, subscriber systems, business parameters) not illustrated. Assuch, step 220 can involve the entity 200 interacting with businesscritical systems shown or not shown in FIG. 1.

By way of non-limiting example, the contextual information can include acollection of values of various parameters that can be grouped accordingto the following categories:

-   -   parameters that characterize the requesting LBS application:

parameter example values IP (Internet Protocol) address Any IP addressassigned to the operating LBS Application server. MLP (Mobile LocationOMA-TS-MLP-V3_3 Protocol) Trusted Yes or No. Can be based on the IPaddress of requesting Location Application as interconnected with DataNetwork 172 (or implied- trusted if connected within 120C) MobileNetwork Operator Yes or No. Hosted Can be based on an IP address. Ifthis is a Mobile Network hosted LBS Application Server then the IPaddress would assigned from within Mobile Network 120C. If the LBSApplication server is a 3^(rd) Party hosted system then the IP addresswould be so assigned. Untrusted → Opt-in “Do you wish to opt in?”notifications Opt-in notifications can be made mandatory for untrustedLBS Application servers. (This is a business rule attribute to assessand make notifications with a subscriber to obtain their Opt-in consentfor the network to determine their location.) Accuracy degree of Thesubscriber's location to be adherence requirements determined to within500 meters) on a “Best Effort” basis. Latency (timeout) and rebid Thesubscriber's location to be requirements determined to within, e.g, 45seconds

-   -   parameters that characterize the subscriber:

parameter example values MSISDN (Mobile Station 3026404163102355International Subscriber Directory Number) Without the leading countryand network codes this is otherwise known to subscribers as their “phonenumber” which in North America is a 10 digit phone number starting witha 3 digit area code, thus 4163102355, in this example. IMSIInternational Mobile 302610011110001 Subscriber Identity [23.003],[J-STD-036] IMEI International Mobile 35328500000999X station EquipmentIdentity or [23.003] or MEID (Mobile 00446688113355X EquipmentIdentifier) X - Lunh check digit not shown ICCID (Integrated CircuitCard 8930261020207775555 Identifier) But for certain coordinated globalheader digits this number is arranged and managed by the procurer of theUICCs which is typically the host Mobile Network Operator. Home androamer networks Yes or No, with qualifiers as established within aSubscriber's account profile of enrolled services Access to voiceservices Yes or No, with qualifiers as established within a Subscriber'saccount profile of enrolled services Access to data services Yes or No,with qualifiers as established within a Subscriber's account profile ofenrolled services Value-added services Voice mail service SMS serviceLBS service Mobile browser 2 GB per month mobile data allocation

-   -   parameters that characterize the mobile network 120 (including        various nodes in the radio access network 120R and the core        network 120C):

parameter example values Mobile Country Code & MCC: 302 (Canada) MobileNetwork Code MNC: 640 (Bell Mobility) (header portions of IMSI)Susbscriber Identifier 4163102355 A limited resource pool of numbersmanaged by the Mobile Network Operator to assign to their Subscribers,for example: Ki key-pairs A12C45B4CC33BB4532332BBCA12349AC This is a 32character (hexadecimal number) that is securely stored in the MobileNetwork and within the UICC and is managed and handled as a write only(not readable) parameter within the system. A key-pair is formed by thesystematic association fixed to a partner IMSI number. Additionalkey-pair integrity checks may be employed by a wireless communicationenvironment. Node B (cell sites) status CELL SITE #1 = exists and isonline CELL SITE #2 = exists and is down RNC/MSC/SGSN/GGSN RNC = existsand is online (core) status MSC = exists and is online SGSN/GGSN =exists and is online SMSC/HLR/VLR status SMSC = exists and is online HLR= exists and is online VLR = exists and is online OTA system status OTA= exists and is online (provisioning)

-   -   parameters that characterize device 110:

parameter example values MSISDN or (MDN in cdma) 3026404163102355 IMEI35328500000999X or 00446688113355X X - Lunh check digit not shown or(ESN in cdma) IMSI International Mobile 302610011110001 SubscriberIdentity [23.003], [J-STD-036] UE (User Equipment) UMTS-HSPA Release 7,Category 6 classification (2G, 3G, or 4G) (thus a 3G device capable ofvoice This context can become and high speed packet data). known throughthe IMEI (which contains device manufacturer, model, and softwareversion number reference information within its syntax) or by way ofother sources of information managed by the wireless operator, forexample from data within the HLR and Subscriber provisioning & billingsubsystems within 120. AGPS equipped support YES or NO or Unknown. Theaffirmative or negative can be derived and previously established fromUE classification context or indeed by attempts (successful or not) toengage in a SUPL session BIP (Bearer Independent YES or No or Unknown.Protocol) support The affirmative or negative can be derived andpreviously established from UE classification context or indeed byattempts (successful or not) to engage in a SUPL session. CAT-TP (“CardApplication YES or No or Unknown. Toolkit - Transport Protocol”, perETSI standards TS 102 124 and TS 102 127) support The affirmative ornegative can be derived and previously established from UEclassification context or indeed by attempts (successful or not) toengage in a SUPL session. Java JSR (Java Specification YES or No orUnknown. Request) 177 and JSR 179 support The affirmative or negativecan be derived and previously established from UE classification contextor indeed by attempts (successful or not) to engage in a SUPL session.

-   -   parameters that characterize the device's SIM/UIC card 670 or        770:

parameter example values ICCID 8930261020207775555 But for certaincoordinated global header digits this number is arranged and managed bythe procurer of the UICCs which is typically the host Mobile NetworkOperator. IMSI 302610011110001 Ki key-pairsA12C45B4CC33BB4532332BBCA12349AC This is a 32 character (hexadecimalnumber) that is securely stored in the Mobile Network and within theUICC and is managed and handled as a write only (not readable) parameterwithin the system. A key-pair is formed by the systematic associationfixed to a partner IMSI number. Additional key-pair integrity checks maybe employed by a wireless communication environment. AGPS-equipped Y/NYES or NO or Unknown This would depend on the native capabilities of theUICC in question, and for the case of this Application and thedescription of certain use case scenarios the UICC can have an embeddedGPS sub- module. SIM toolkit support Y/N YES or NO or Unknown Applets(onboard) SUPL Client applet - may work transparently to the deviceuser's knowledge (thus no User Interaction); Special Numbers applet - aspeed dial list of convenient phone numbers such as Directory Assistanceor Client Care; Self Care applet - an embedded web link to convenientlylaunch mobile browser to Wireless Network Operator's services portal;Buddy Finder applet - a Location services feature that employs the SUPLClient and may interact with the user by presenting certain informationor initiating a mobile browser session to display a map, for example;Applets (provisionable) PLMN List Manager applet - a special client thatcan be modified to add or remove identities of Roaming Networks so as tohelp and allow the device to properly find a compatible network toacquire when the Subscriber is away from their Home network;Capabilities and configuration A collection of key and maincharacteristics of the Subscribers' UICC card, such as its memorycapacity, protocol revision support, Applets on board or provisionable,as well as the provisioned state or status of the UICC card.

-   -   parameters that characterize the subscription from a        business/financial perspective:

parameter example values MSISDN 3026404163102355 Account # a uniqueidentifier An custom identification scheme - typically anchored in aMobile Network operator's billing sub-system - to associate with aSubscriber. Subscription type “A prepaid Subscriber with an This kind ofattribute can take account in good standing and on several operationaland English language as a preference organizational dimensions forsystem generated messages” depending on the Mobile Network Operator'sarrangement and can offer context about the subscribers pre-establishedservice preferences or general status within 120, for example: Prepaid -allow voice & data service if in good standing A visiting roamer - allowservices as governed by their host/home network Data only device Generalstatus active, suspended, terminated, pre- activation Languagepreference English, French, Spanish Other attributes, real-time or“Subscribed to Location services: ad-hoc 1) City-Walk-And-Map-GuideThese are custom attributes 2) Here-I-Am-Instant-Coupons and schemes andinformation - 3) Show-My-Family-On-A-Map typically cross referenced to4) Emergency 911 with Location or anchored in a Mobile 5)Points-Of-Interest-Drive-By-Ads Network operator's services 6)Map-My-Friends-Near-Me sub-systems - to associate 7)Where-Is-My-Missing-Phone” with a Subscriber so as to render a timelyand proper experience. Services may be hosted by distinct or same,hosted or 3^(rd) party, trusted or untrusted Location Applicationservers and operators interconnected by 172.

The contextual information obtained at step 220 may include valuesrelated to some or all of the parameters mentioned above. Also, thecontextual information obtained at step 220 may include values ofparameters other than those mentioned above. In some cases, the valuesof some parameters may be unknown at the time of obtaining thecontextual information, in which case the values could be returned as“unknown” or they might simply not be provided.

Step 230

The entity 200 proceeds with the formulation of a positioning requestdestined for device 110. The purpose of the positioning request is tocause device 110 to retrieve location information from a “target”location establishment entity, which can be either a built-in locationestablishment entity (e.g., GPS sub-module 635) or a removable locationestablishment entity (e.g., GPS sub-module 735). In addition, it will beappreciated that the positioning request will be sent to device 110 overa “target” signaling plane, which can be either the above-described“control plane” or the above-described “user plane”.

By executing step 230, of the routing function/selection process, theentity 200 solves the problem of selecting the “target” locationestablishment entity and the “target” signaling plane, by taking intoconsideration the values of the parameters included in the contextualinformation obtained at step 220. As such, there is a mapping betweenvarious possible sets of parameter values and the manner in which thepositioning request is to be delivered to device 110. In fact, thenumber of possible sets of parameter values is large, and it shouldtherefore be clear that many different sets of parameter values will mapto the same choice of target location establishment entity and targetsignaling plane.

With additional reference to FIG. 9, which illustrates step 230 ingreater detail, it will be seen that step 230 is broken down into afirst step 232, where the routing function/selection process determineswhether the target location establishment entity is a built-in locationestablishment entity or a removable location establishment entity. Manydifferent parameters may either individually, or cumulatively with otherparameters, tip the balance in favor of one particular target locationestablishment entity (either built-in or removable).

By way of example, in cases where the device has a built-in locationestablishment entity and where the device has no removable locationestablishment entity (or where it is unknown whether the device has aremovable location establishment entity), then the left branch out ofstep 232 could be taken, whereas in cases where the device has aremovable location establishment entity and where the device has nobuilt-in location establishment entity (or where it is unknown whetherthe device has a built-in location establishment entity), then the rightbranch out of step 232 could be taken.

By way of example, in cases where the device has both a removablelocation establishment entity and where the LBS application has astringent latency expectation greater than a certain threshold (e.g., areturn is required in less than 30 seconds), then despite the presenceof the removable location establishment entity, it may be preferable tosend a positioning request to a built-in location establishment entity.

Selection of the target location establishment entity could also dependon the behavior of device 110 in response to a previously sentpositioning request. For example, if a positioning request waspreviously sent to a removable location establishment entity and device110 did not respond within a certain time limit, then left branch ofstep 232 could be taken. Conversely, if a positioning request waspreviously sent to a built-in location establishment entity and device110 did not respond within a certain time limit, then the right branchof step 232 could be taken.

Other rules and principles for selecting the target locationestablishment entity are provided later on.

Depending on the outcome of step 232, the routing function/selectionprocess proceeds to either step 234R (in the case where the targetlocation establishment entity is a removable location establishmententity) or 234B (in the case where the target location establishmententity is a built-in location establishment entity).

In the case where the target location establishment entity is aremovable location establishment entity, the routing function/selectionprocess determines by default that user plane signaling is to be used.To allow location information to be retrieved through the use of userplane signaling, a secure user plane (SUPL) connection is expected tohave been established between a client agent instantiated by theprocessor 720 in the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card 770 and a correspondingserver agent instantiated by the SUPL server 170.

Accordingly, at step 234R, the routing function/selection processverifies whether a secure user plane (SUPL) connection already existsbetween a client agent instantiated by the processor 720 and acorresponding server agent instantiated on the SUPL server 170. Forexample, a secure user plane (SUPL) connection involving a client agentinstantiated by the processor 720 may exist when the processor 720 isinvolved in an active data session.

Where a secure user plane (SUPL) connection exists, the routingfunction/selection process proceeds from step 234R to step 236R, wherelocation information is retrieved through the use of user planesignaling. Step 236R is described further below.

Where no secure user plane (SUPL) connection exists (for example, in thecase where there is no client agent instantiated on the device-side),the routing function/selection process proceeds from step 234R to step238R, where steps are taken to instantiate a client agent, and toestablish a secure user plane (SUPL) connection between such clientagent and a server agent. Step 238R is described further below. Once thesecure user plane connection (SUPL) has been established, the routingfunction/selection process proceeds to step 236R, where locationinformation is retrieved through the use of user plane signaling.

It is now recalled that the another possible outcome of step 232 ariseswhen the target location establishment entity is a built-in locationestablishment entity. In this case, the routing function/selectionprocess proceeds to step 234B, where it is determined whether the targetsignaling plane is the control plane or the user plane. Many differentparameters may either individually, or cumulatively with otherparameters, tip the balance in favor of one particular target signalingplane (either control plane or user plane).

Depending on the outcome of step 234B, the routing function/selectionprocess proceeds to either step 236BC (in the case where the targetsignaling plane is the control plane) or 236BU (in the case where thetarget signaling plane is the user plane). Step 236BC is describedfurther below.

As far as step 236BU is concerned, the routing function/selectionprocess verifies whether a secure user plane (SUPL) connection alreadyexists between a client agent instantiated by the application processor620 and a corresponding server agent instantiated on the SUPL server170. For example, a secure user plane (SUPL) connection involving aclient agent instantiated by the application processor 620 may existwhen the application processor 620 is involved in an active datasession.

Where a secure user plane (SUPL) connection exists, the routingfunction/selection process proceeds from step 236BU to step 238BU, wherelocation information is retrieved through the use of user planesignaling. Step 238BU is described further below.

Where no secure user plane (SUPL) connection exists (for example, in thecase where there is no client agent instantiated on the device-side),the routing function/selection process proceeds from step 236BU to step240BU, where steps are taken to instantiate a client agent, and toestablish a secure user plane (SUPL) connection between such clientagent and a server agent. Step 240BU is described further below. Oncethe secure user plane connection (SUPL) has been established, therouting function/selection process proceeds to step 238BU, wherelocation information is retrieved through the use of user planesignaling.

The effect of the various parameter values on the overall choice oftarget location establishment entity and target signaling plane (i.e.,the path through the flowchart in FIG. 9) can be codified as a rule setand/or a mapping, which can be stored in the database 195 and consultedby the entity 200.

Certain parameters have a tendency to exert a stronger influence on thepath taken through the flowchart in FIG. 9, as indicated by thefollowing table, which is provided by way of example only and is not tobe considered as limiting:

Path taken through flowchart in FIG. 9 232→ 232→ Parameters stronglyinfluencing 234B→ 234B→ 232→ path through flowchart in FIG. 9 236BC236BU 234R E911 critical (default start for ✓

everyone. Optimized to be speedy and return highest accuracy under thecircumstances) Turn-by-turn application used by home

✓

network subscriber (high performance, high accuracy, multi-shot) Visitorwho has obtained temporary

✓ services (voice, data, LBS featured offerings), for example,City-Walk- And-Map-Guide. Casual (unscheduled) or single-shot

✓ ✓ locate request by hosted or 3^(rd)-Party LBS application (low,medium, or high accuracy). Secondary parameters that may influencechoice between column 2 and column 3 can include: User's equipmentAccuracy expectations Mobile Operator offered Client-Care ✓

✓ Services - Bell shop finder, repair my phone locations, etc. (low,medium, or high accuracy). Secondary parameters that may influencechoice between column 1 and column 3 can include: Accuracy expectationsMethod of interaction (mobile browser vs. text message pop-up vs.complimentary agent phone call to subscriber) Partnership to MobileOperator ✓ ✓

offering advanced services - Points- Of-Interest-Drive-By-Ads (low,medium, or high accuracy, and/or scheduled). Secondary parameters thatmay influence choice between column 1 and column 2 can include: Identityof LBS application Whether the event is scheduled or recurring eventRevenue model implemented by the partnership (which may dictate level ofservice, performance, accuracy, revenue sharing, and other expectations)

A small number of limited but non-limiting examples of possiblecombinations of parameter values leading to different paths being takenthrough the flowchart in FIG. 9 are presented in individual rows in thetable of FIG. 8.

It should be understood that the combinations of parameter values in thetable of FIG. 8 are for illustrative purposes only. Embodiments mayexist where these same combinations of parameter values would result ina different formulation of the positioning request from the one given ina particular row in the table of FIG. 8, while other embodiments mayexist where a particular formulation of the positioning request given ina particular row in the table of FIG. 8 results from a differentcombination of parameter values.

The various request formulation procedures appearing in the far-rightcolumn of FIG. 8 as a result of execution of step 230 are now describedin further detail.

Step 236R

In order to retrieve location information regarding device 110, and withreference to FIG. 5, the entity 200 instructs the SUPL server 170 torequest location information regarding device 110. In particular, theentity 200 identifies device 110 (e.g., by its IMSI or other identifier)and indicates that the location information is to be obtained by a(previously established) client agent instantiated by the processor 720(associated with a removable location establishment entity).Accordingly, the SUPL server 170 identifies a client agent 510, a serveragent 530 and a secure user plane (SUPL) connection 520 existing betweenclient agent 510 and server agent 530.

Server agent 530 utilizes the GPS reference feed to determineinformation about specific satellites to be monitored. Server agent 530can then send a message indicative of a positioning request 502 viasecure user plane (SUPL) connection 520 to client agent 510. Theprocessor 720 on the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card 770 then retrieveslocation information from the removable location establishment entity(e.g., GPS sub-module 735).

The location information retrieved by client agent 510 may be in theform of GPS data, which can be included in a return message 514 sent tothe server agent 530 using secure user plane (SUPL) connection 520.Server agent 530 at the SUPL server 170 may compute the device'slocation based on the GPS data in the return message 514. Specifically,server agent 530 may transform the GPS data (by various mathematicalalgorithms) into Geo-Location format relevant to users such aslatitude/longitude and units of reference (coordinate system) as well asquality of information metrics (confidence level, accuracy, etc.) forthe calculation. Server agent 530 can then send a return message 522indicative of the device's location to the LBS node 130 for furtherprocessing.

Step 238R

To allow location information to be retrieved through the use of userplane signaling (as described above in connection with step 236R),secure user plane (SUPL) connection 520 is expected to have beenestablished between client agent 510 instantiated by the processor 720and corresponding server agent 530 instantiated on the SUPL server 170.

There are various ways to cause instantiation of client agent 510 andestablishment of secure user plane (SUPL) connection 520 between clientagent 510 and server agent 530. For example, in order to causeinstantiation of a client agent by the processor 720, the SMSC 145 mayissue a SUPL_INIT message destined for the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card 770but sent to device 110. One possibility is for the SUPL_INIT message tobe sent to the MSC 135, while another possibility is for the SUPL_INITmessage to be sent to the SGSN 155.

The SUPL_INIT message can be sent by the SMSC 145 as an SMS message,although the SUPL_INIT message may have a specific format due to thefact that it is destined for the processor 720 (and not the applicationprocessor 620). Indeed, depending on the format of a received SUPL_INITmessage, the application processor 620 recognizes the message either asbeing destined for device 110 itself or for the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card770.

In the case here, the received SUPL_INIT message is destined for theGPS-enabled SIM/UIC card 770. Accordingly, the application processor 620relays the received SUPL_INIT message to the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card770 using a protocol, such as such as BIP (Bearer Independent Protocol).The processor 720 then instantiates client agent 510, which establishessecure user plane connection 520 with server agent 530 at the SUPLserver 170. Secure user plane connection 520 traverses device 110, theSGSN 155 and the GGSN 165.

Step 236BC

With reference to FIG. 3, the entity 200 instructs the GMLC 160 to senda message 302 indicative of a positioning request to the MSC 135. Inaccordance with a non-limiting example, message 302 can be a MAP/ANSI-41message according to the 3GPP/3GPP2 protocol. The MSC 135 can then senda message 304 indicative of a positioning request to the radio networkcontroller 125. In accordance with a non-limiting example, message 304can be a Positioning Request message according to the 3GPP TS.24.030(Location Services) protocol. The radio network controller 125 can thensend a query 306 (e.g., a Location Request containing device addressinginformation, such as the IMSI) to the SAS 175. The SAS 175 providesassistance data (e.g., information about specific satellites to bemonitored) in the form of a message 308 (e.g., a Location Response) sentback to the radio network controller 125. The radio network controller125 can then send a message 310 indicative of a positioning requestthrough the base station 105, towards device 110. In accordance with anon-limiting example, message 310 can be a Location Request messageaccording to the 3GPP TS.24.030 (Location Services) protocol. The basestation 105 can then relay message 310 to device 110, where it isprocessed by the application processor 620.

The application processor 620 on device 110 can then retrieve locationinformation from the built-in location establishment entity (such as GPSsub-module 635A). The location information retrieved in this manner maybe in the form of GPS data, which can be included in a return message314 that can be sent by device 110 to the base station 105. Inaccordance with a non-limiting example, message 314 can be a LocationResponse message according to the 3GPP TS.24.030 (Location Services)protocol. The base station 105 can then relay the return message 314indicative of the GPS data to the radio network controller 125. Theradio network controller 125 can then send a response 318 indicative ofthe GPS data to the SAS 175. The SAS 175 may compute the device'slocation based on the GPS data in the response 318. Specifically, theSAS 175 may transform the GPS data (by various mathematical algorithms)into Geo-Location format relevant to users such as latitude/longitudeand units of reference (coordinate system) as well as quality ofinformation metrics (confidence level, accuracy, etc.) for thecalculation. The SAS 175 can include the device's location in a response320 sent back to the radio network controller 125. The radio networkcontroller 125 can then send a return message 322 indicative of thedevice's location to the MSC 135. In accordance with a non-limitingexample, message 322 can be a Location Information message according tothe 3GPP TS.24.030 (Location Services) protocol. The MSC 135 can thenrelay message 322 indicative of the device's location to the GMLC 160.

The GMLC 160 can then return the device's location to the LBS node 130for further processing. The device's location may be formulated in amessage according to the MLP protocol, which may have been used fortransmitting the initial request from the LBS node 130.

Step 238BU

In order to retrieve location information regarding device 110, and withreference to FIG. 4, the entity 200 instructs the SUPL server 170 torequest location information regarding device 110. In particular, theentity 200 identifies device 110 (e.g., by its IMSI or other identifier)and indicates that the location information is to be obtained by a(previously established) client agent instantiated by the applicationprocessor 620 (associated with a built-in location establishmententity). Accordingly, the SUPL server 170 identifies a client agent 410,a server agent 430 and a secure user plane (SUPL) connection 420existing between client agent 410 and server agent 430.

Server agent 430 utilizes the GPS reference feed to determineinformation about specific satellites to be monitored. Server agent 430can then send a message indicative of a positioning request 402 viasecure user plane (SUPL) connection 420 to client agent 410. Theapplication processor 620 built into device 110 then retrieves locationinformation from the built-in location establishment entity (e.g., GPSsub-module 635).

The location information retrieved by client agent 410 may be in theform of GPS data, which can be included in a return message 414 sent tothe server agent 430 using secure user plane (SUPL) connection 420.Server agent 430 at the SUPL server 170 may compute the device'slocation based on the GPS data in the return message 414. Specifically,server agent 430 may transform the GPS data (by various mathematicalalgorithms) into Geo-Location format relevant to users such aslatitude/longitude and units of reference (coordinate system) as well asquality of information metrics (confidence level, accuracy, etc.) forthe calculation. Server agent 430 can then send a return message 422indicative of the device's location to the LBS node 130 for furtherprocessing.

Step 240BU

To allow location information to be retrieved through the use of userplane signaling (as described above in connection with step 236R),secure user plane (SUPL) connection 420 is expected to have beenestablished between client agent 410 instantiated by the applicationprocessor 620 and corresponding server agent 430 instantiated on theSUPL server 170.

There are various ways to cause instantiation of client agent 410 andestablishment of secure user plane (SUPL) connection 420 between clientagent 410 and server agent 430. For example, in order to causeinstantiation of a client agent by the application processor 620, theSMSC 145 may issue a SUPL_INIT message destined for device 110. Onepossibility is for the SUPL_INIT message to be sent via the MSC 135,while another possibility is for the SUPL_INIT message to be sent viathe SGSN 155.

The SUPL_INIT message can be sent by the SMSC 145 as an SMS message,although the SUPL_INIT message may have a specific format due to thefact that it is destined for the application processor 620 (and not theprocessor 720). Indeed, depending on the format of a received SUPL_INITmessage, the application processor 620 recognizes the message either asbeing destined for device 110 itself or for the GPS-enabled SIM/UIC card770.

In the case here, the received SUPL_INIT message is destined for device110 itself. Accordingly, the application processor 620 instantiates aclient agent 410, which then establishes a secure user plane connection420 with a server agent 430 at the SUPL server 170. The secure userplane connection 420 traverses the SGSN 155 and the GGSN 165.

It will be appreciated that the built-in and removable aspects of theabove described location establishment entities are simply examples, andthat in lieu being built-in or removable, the location establishmententities may be referred to as internal and external, primary andsecondary, main and alternate, first and second, second and first, etc.

Also, although certain embodiments have contemplated that under somecircumstances device 110 could be equipped with two distinct locationestablishment entities, it is envisaged that under some circumstancesdevice 110 could be equipped with more than two distinct locationestablishment entities.

Also, although the global positioning system (GPS) was mentioned as alocation establishment technology, this is not a requirement, as othertechnologies could be used. For example, it is conceivable that WIFI adhoc network positioning could be employed, which involves sensing,measurement, SSID & MAC address lookup, and mapping. Also, it should beappreciated that embodiments may exist in which the locationestablishment entities are not capable of determining a location to agreater degree of accuracy that a cell site/sector. Under suchcircumstances, the location establishment entities would not be referredto as GPS sub-modules.

Also, although in the above scenarios, the request for locationinformation was received from an LBS node 130 connected to the corenetwork and running an LBS application, it should be appreciated thatthe request for location information may originate from an LBSapplication running on another device communicating via the radio accessnetwork 120R. In other cases, no such request for location informationis sent or received by the LBS node 130; rather, it a request forlocation information is generated internally to the entity 200,resulting in the location information being obtained autonomously (e.g.,based on a predefined time limit having been reached, such as an amountof time having elapsed since the location of device 110 was lastdetermined or a specified time of day having been reached).

Also, it is envisaged that the present invention may be applicable toCDMA-based 3G/4G mobile networks where the mobile terminal devices areequipped with or employ RUIM (removable user identity module) basedsubscriber smart cards.

Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments canbe made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are to be consideredillustrative and not restrictive. Also it should be appreciated thatadditional elements that may be needed for operation of certainembodiments of the present invention have not been described orillustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of the personof ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments of thepresent invention may be free of, may lack and/or may function withoutany element that is not specifically disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for execution by at least one entity ina wireless communication environment, the method comprising: receiving arequest for location information pertaining to a subscriber device;obtaining contextual information regarding the request for locationinformation; formulating a positioning request for transmission to thedevice over a communication network, wherein depending on the contextualinformation, the positioning request is formulated to instruct thedevice to retrieve location information from a built-in locationestablishment entity or from a removable location establishment entityat the device, determining, based on the contextual information, atarget signaling plane over which to send the positioning requestmessage to the device, the target signaling plane selected from one of acontrol plane or a user plane on the communication network wherein thecontrol plane is used in the establishment and monitoring of aconnection in the user plane, the target signaling plane selected atleast in part based on a type of location establishment entity fromwhich the device is instructed to retrieve the location informationfrom, and sending the positioning request to the device over the targetsignaling plane.
 2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein thepositioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrievelocation information from the built-in establishment entity when thecontextual information indicates (i) that the device includes thebuilt-in location establishment entity and (ii) that the device does notinclude the removable location establishment entity or that it isunknown whether the device includes the removable location establishmententity.
 3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the request forlocation information is issued by a node executing a location-basedservice (LBS) application, and wherein the positioning request isformulated to instruct the device to retrieve location information fromthe built-in location establishment entity when the contextualinformation indicates (i) that the device includes the removablelocation establishment entity and (ii) that the LBS application has astringent latency expectation greater than a threshold.
 4. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the positioning request is formulated toinstruct the device to retrieve location information from the removablelocation establishment entity when the contextual information indicates(i) that the device includes the removable location establishmententity; and (ii) that the device is compliant with the BearerIndependent Protocol (BIP) protocol.
 5. The method defined in claim 1,wherein the request for location information is received from a sourceexternal to the at least one entity, wherein the source of the requestfor location information is a node executing a location based services(LBS) application and wherein the request for location information isreceived over the Internet.
 6. The method defined in claim 1, whereinthe target signaling plane is selected to be the user plane when thecontextual information indicates that the device includes the removablelocation establishment entity and does not include the built-in locationestablishment entity.
 7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein when (i)the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrievelocation information from the built-in location establishment entity and(ii) the target signaling plane is selected to be the user plane: thepositioning request is sent over a secure user plane connectionestablished with a client agent instantiated by a processing entity thatis built into the device.
 8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein when(i) the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device toretrieve location information from the removable location establishmententity and (ii) the target signaling plane is selected to be the userplane: the positioning request is sent over a secure user planeconnection established with a client agent instantiated by a processingentity that is removable with respect to the device.
 9. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the contextual information includesinformation about whether the device responded to a previous positioningrequest, wherein the positioning request is formulated to retrievelocation information from the built-in location establishment entitywhen the device did not respond to the previous positioning requestwithin a certain time limit and the previous positioning request wassent to the removable location establishment entity.
 10. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the target signaling plane is selected to bethe user plane and wherein the positioning request is formulated toinstruct the device to retrieve location information from the built inlocation establishment entity when the contextual information indicatesthat an emergency call has been placed by the device.
 11. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the request for location information isissued by a node executing a location-based service (LBS) application,wherein the target signaling plane is selected to be the user plane andwherein the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device toretrieve location information from the built-in location establishmententity when the contextual information indicates that (i) the LBSapplication is a turn-by-turn application and (ii) the device isassociated with a subscriber of the communication network.
 12. Themethod defined in claim 1, wherein the positioning request is formulatedto instruct the device to retrieve location information from theremovable location establishment entity when the contextual informationindicates that the device is not registered with any subscriber of thecommunication network.
 13. The method defined in claim 1, wherein thetarget signaling plane is selected to be the user plane and wherein thepositioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrievelocation information from the built-in location establishment entitywhen the contextual information indicates that the request for locationinformation is an unscheduled or single-shot request.
 14. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the request for location information isissued by a node executing a location-based service (LBS) application,wherein the target signaling plane is selected to be the user plane andwherein the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device toretrieve location information from the built-in location establishmententity when the contextual information indicates that the LBSapplication is operated by an entity in partnership with an operator ofthe communication network.
 15. An entity in a wireless communicationenvironment, comprising: a processing entity for: receiving a requestfor location information pertaining to a subscriber device; obtainingcontextual information regarding the request for location information;formulating a positioning request for transmission to the device over acommunication network, wherein depending on the contextual information,the positioning request is formulated to instruct the device to retrievelocation information from a built-in location establishment entity orfrom a removable location establishment entity at the device;determining, based on the contextual information, a target signalingplane over which to send the positioning request message to the device,the target signaling plane selected from one of a control plane or auser plane on the communication network wherein the control plane isused in the establishment and monitoring of a connection in the userplane, the target signaling plane selected at least in part based on atype of location establishment entity from which the device isinstructed to retrieve the location information from; and an output forreleasing the positioning request towards the device.
 16. A method forexecution by at least one entity in a wireless communicationenvironment, the method comprising: receiving a request for locationinformation pertaining to a subscriber device; determining that thesubscriber device is equipped with both a built-in locationestablishment entity and a removable location establishment entity;consulting an information database to select a location establishmententity from the built-in location establishment entity and the removablelocation establishment entity; determining, based on a contextualinformation associated with the request, a target signaling plane overwhich to send a location information message to the device, the targetsignaling plane selected from one of a control plane or a user plane ona communication network within the wireless communication environmentwherein the control plane is used in the establishment and monitoring ofa connection in the user plane, the target signaling plane selected atleast in part based on a type of the selected location establishmententity; and sending the location information message to the device overthe target signaling plane to retrieve location information from theselected location establishment entity.